The Dangling Conversation
by Nightcrawler1
Summary: The Devil has a conversation with God's messenger


Title: The Dangling Conversation  
Author: Nightcrawler  
Fandom: Brimstone  
Rating: R  
Summary: The Devil meets with God's messenger  
Archive: Sure  
Warnings: Language and religious themes  
Disclaimer: Brimstone and it's characters belong to someone else, not me. I'm just   
borrowing the characters and no money is being made.  
  
  
  
The Dangling Conversation  
  
The Devil looked down at his watch impatiently, wondering where the blazes Peter was.   
It wasn't like him to be late. The Devil considered leaving, calling an abrupt halt to the   
so-called meeting. Grimacing, he reconsidered. There was no point. He would just   
have to do it all over again and he didn't have time for that. Maybe God and his   
messengers had all the time in the world, but he was damned busy. Besides, Peter was   
well worth waiting for and always good for some fun. His temper was still notoriously   
short, something that hadn't changed when his mortal life had ended. The Devil couldn't   
help rubbing his palms together in gleeful anticipation. Suddenly, a bright white light   
momentarily blinded him, signaling the awaited guest's arrival. Shading his eyes, he   
stared, surprised that Old Peter still had such a powerful aura. As the aura slowly faded   
and he saw who his messenger was and angrily spat out, "You! He sent you?!"   
  
The thin young man beside him with the long blond hair smiled gently and nodded.  
  
Insulted, the Devil's hands turned to fists as he felt the anger at the implied insult surge   
through his body. Before it could escape, the young man grasped both hands and said   
softly, "There's no need for that, relax. I'm not here to insult you."  
  
The Devil stared at the soft white hands that held his. He felt the light energy of the   
being opposite him rush into him, and despite himself, he felt something he hadn't felt in   
a long time; peace. The young man beside him was far, far more powerful than he   
appeared. He looked over at him with a tinge of new-found respect and the usual   
smattering of disgust and then growled, "I can't believe this. If He had to send me John,   
couldn't it have been John the Baptist? Why you? What is they call you now, John the   
Evangelist? John the Devine?" Then the Devil winked slyly and asked, "Does Jesus   
know you're here?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"The way I hear it, you're always right by his side. Something change?" the Devil   
sneered rudely.  
  
"Actually, it was Jesus who suggested me to his Father. Peter is too old now to have to   
spar with you. Besides, you've grown quite powerful over time. There are not many of   
us left strong enough to deal with you."  
  
"And you are?" The Devil asked in disbelief.  
  
"Perhaps." was all the answer the young man gave.  
  
"Well, let's get this over with. Why are you here?"  
  
"To give you a message."  
  
"You mean a warning, don't you?" The Devil asked nastily.  
  
"No. I mean a message."  
  
"Well, I have a message too. You go back and tell Him I won't deal with you. Send me   
a man, someone that's lived life. You may have spent a great many years on this place,   
but you never lived." The Devil eyed John up and down with a condescending look. A   
low, rumbling laugh escaped his lips, a harsh and evil sound. "Trying to recapture your   
youth? If memory serves me correctly you were, what, 112 years old when you passed?"  
  
John looked slightly flustered, bowed his head and admitted softly, "It was a very special   
time. Why shouldn't I want to recapture it, if such a thing were possible? Come now,   
Lucifer. We both know you can't go back."  
  
"I'm not playing games with you." The devil hissed. "Tell Him to send me a man, a real   
man. One that's lived! And if He has a problem with that, too bad."  
  
John ignored his verbal blast and smiled.  
  
"What the hell are you smiling at?"" The Devil demanded angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's just you just remind me so much of Peter. You're just like   
him."  
  
The Devil clenched his teeth and held his hands up in warning, "Stop! Just stop!"  
  
John looked down and paused for a moment, then he lifted his eyes to the Devil's and   
said softly, "It's a short message, I'll be brief."  
  
The Devil sighed in exasperation, then nodded quickly several times, knowing it was best   
to get this over with. He had better things to do, and there was always Ezekiel to check   
on.  
  
"I'm here to tell you, your Father is pleased."  
  
The Devil laughed out loud, long and viciously.   
  
"I do not lie, Lucifer. Not all of His creations have turned out the way He would like.   
Yet if He had no place to send them, what would He do? Destroy them? You know He   
could not do that. He decided hell would be the perfect place for certain souls. And you   
would be the perfect choice to manage it."  
  
"Did He really? Well give my dear Father a message, tell him -" a loud boom of thunder   
blocked out the Devil's profane reply. The Devil smiled, basking in the shocked look on   
young John's face.   
  
"You don't understand. He is pleased with your work. Your job is not easy and He   
knows that. But what He is most especially pleased with is your work with the soul   
catcher Ezekiel."  
  
The smile left the Devil's face. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.  
He reached over and grabbed young John by the neck, "You listen here you little prick,   
you tell God Ezekiel is mine! Don't even think about trying to get him. He killed, he   
wasn't remorseful, he belongs to me!" The Devil stood and started to storm off, then   
turned with a flourish to stare at John on the park bench. "He made the rules, I'm just   
following them. Ezekiel's mine. Stay away from him, or I swear I'll burn a path across   
this earth and take every living soul with me." With eyes burning scarlet, the evil   
disappeared.  
  
A voice boomed out of the heavens above, "Well done, my son. He will bond ever   
closer to Ezekiel now and who knows? The only one to combat the evil of this earth is   
the one who unleashed it with his terrible temper. Poor Lucifer. I never meant for him to   
suffer like this, but we have the soul catcher, we have Ezekiel and he fights on our side   
whether he knows it or not. Ezekiel is our only hope now. Come home, now and let us   
see what develops."   
  
The End  
  
  



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